


Things That Have Never Been

by xstarxchaserx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 20:55:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16584014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xstarxchaserx/pseuds/xstarxchaserx
Summary: In which a chance encounter on Christmas Eve at St. Mungo’s lays the foundation for extended family, new friendships, and the chance at an even more exceptional new year.An H/D Owl Post Winter Holiday Fest gift for maraudersaffair!





	Things That Have Never Been

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompt: Harry takes Teddy to St. Mungo's on Christmas Eve where Draco is a Healer.

The emergency room at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries during the holidays was, quite simply, a disaster zone. From prank gifts gone wrong to heated family disputes, the Healers saw _everything_ , which is why most of them fought to request those days off. 

All of them except Draco Malfoy, that is. 

For each of the four years he had worked at St. Mungo’s, Draco had actively requested to work through the holiday season. He told himself that the holiday pay was what drew him in— having most of the Malfoy family estate frozen by the Ministry had put a damper on his usual lifestyle, after all— but the reality was that he couldn’t stand the idea of spending an overly formal evening across a table from the once-striking form of his mother, now hollowed out from grief and showing her age and then some. Their monthly Sunday lunches were almost more than he could handle, and he regularly had to push away the guilt that ate at him about _that_.

But if he had to work, he could provide his excuses without his conscience weighing him down. Besides, now she had Andromeda back in her life, those bridges rebuilt with so much care that Draco couldn’t quite believe that it had happened. 

(And his aversions to those get togethers had absolutely nothing to do with the _other people_ who might be there.)

No, all around, working the holidays in the A&E was preferable to making small chat with—.

“Harry Potter? _Here?_ ”

“I saw him with my own two eyes!”

Draco stopped in his tracks, between the room of his last patient and the nurses’ station to drop the paperwork off, where they had been discussing the newest arrival to their floor. The Healer who had been walking behind him barked a sharp, _”Wotcher, mate,”_ that only barely pulled Draco back into the present. Before he could pick his jaw completely off the floor, Head Healer Salimah called to him.

“Healer Malfoy, take the new case in room 3, and make it quick, please.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he heard himself say as he steered himself in that direction while his brain played _nonono **nono**_ on repeat.

He paused for just a moment before he opened the door. Maybe it would be a Christmas miracle. Maybe it wouldn’t be him—.

_God damn it._

He noticed the washed out grey hair first, shocking only because it belonged to the little boy held snugly against Potter’s chest, head pressed to the crook of his neck and dozing. The man holding the boy was entirely different from the last time Draco had seen him. His hair, still a mess, was longer now and pulled back into a messy bun at the base of his neck. His glasses, no longer round and outdated, sat ever-so-slightly off kilter on his strong nose.

“Healer Malfoy, here is the chart with the initial intake information. Do you need any help from me? I can do some of the diagnostics—.”

“That will be all, Victoria, thank you,” he said as he took the chart from her. He waited a full 15 seconds before he spoke again. “Victoria, go take the next patient. It’s a madhouse here, you know that. You can just buy the next edition of _Witch Weekly_ and stare at him as much as you want then, yeah?” 

He watched with no amount of satisfaction as she flushed up to her hairline and made a beeline back to the waiting area. 

“I’m sorry about that,” he said as he sat and began to look over the chart. _Fever, coughing, sneezing…_

“No problem. I’m probably the one who should apologize. I do appreciate the complete lack of fu—,” he cut himself off, glancing at Teddy. “Care. The complete lack of care that you have.”

“Good catch, Potter. What brings you in tonight?”

“Teddy… He’s been running a fever for the past two days, with all of the usual symptoms: chills, sniffles, coughing, all of that. I tried the regular course of potions, but nothing was able to take the edge off. Then today, all of the symptoms just got progressively worse. He’s wheezing when he breathes, his fever spiked, he’s drowsy but can’t sleep…”

“Okay, let’s take a look and see what we can find. I’ll just have to run some diagnostics, all the usual ones for temperature, heart rate, lung capacity…”

“Of course, anything you need. Should I put him down?”

“Nah, let him rest where he’s at. No need to put him through even more stress.”

Draco started in on the series of incantations, pulling up images of Teddy’s heart beat ( _Elevated. Stress? Or overwork?_ ) and his lungs ( _definitely some fluid build up_ ). He jotted down notes as he went, and it wasn’t until a few minutes of relative silence that he spared a glance at Potter to find him staring at the Hawthorne wand Draco held in his hand. 

_______________

_“Malfoy! Malfoy, please, wait up.”_

_Draco had kept walking. The only two possibilities in his mind were that he was 1: hallucinating Potter’s voice, because there was no way he would ever willingly seek Draco of all people out, or 2: Potter wanted to gloat. He had hoped it was the first one, because it would mean he had really gone crazy and could just admit himself to St. Mungo’s where he would probably be killed in his sleep anyway._

_But the hand on his arm told him otherwise, and he almost stumbled at the sudden physical contact. How long had it been since someone had touched him? Not to hurt him, just to touch?_

_“I thought you were never going to stop,” Potter said. “I just wanted to give this back to you.”_

_And there, in his out stretched hand, sat Draco’s wand._

_It was something he had never even considered, never even remotely saw as a possibility. He had lost his wand at the manor on that terrible day, the day he looked the Dark Lord— _Voldemort_ , he was just a man, after all— in the face and lied to him. He hadn’t recognized Harry Potter, of course not. He didn’t know, not until the spell started to wear off, otherwise he would have said something. He would have been more careful, of course he hadn’t known._

_He still wasn’t sure how many Crucios he went through that day, but it was enough that he had a tremor from it that carried him well into the spring semester of school._

_But all he said, over and over, was, “I didn’t know.”_

_It didn’t matter that what he hadn’t known was exactly how he was going to feel to look Harry in the eyes and see every ounce of fight and conviction he had lost in himself reflected there. He hadn’t known how much the boy— because, gods, he was a boy, wasn’t he? Weren’t they both?— in front of him had come to mean to him._

_He thought his wand had been gone forever, and while he had been making due with his mother’s, he had planned to buy his own eventually, but not this…_

_“Why?” he asked, instead of the million questions in his head._

_Potter simply pressed it into his hand, a gesture more unsettling than the press of fingers to his arm earlier. “It’s yours.”_

_The lump that had formed solidly in Draco’s throat had prevented him from saying anything, a blessing, really, as he was sure he would have done nothing but embarrass himself. He nodded, and Potter had waited just a beat before returning the gesture and bounding off toward his friends who were waiting patiently for him._

_Draco had stood there for a solid five minutes before he was able to make his feet move. That entire evening was spent making soft, golden sparks fall from his wand and settle around him like so many fallen stars._

___________

“I can find you a different Healer if you would prefer,” Draco said, as calmly as he could muster over his suddenly-racing heart. 

It seemed to snap Potter out of wherever his head had wandered to. “No, don’t be ridiculous. I just… wasn’t prepared for the memories.”

“I get that. It catches me off guard sometimes, too. I don’t think I ever really said thank you for returning it to me.”

“I didn’t exactly give you the opportunity. I wasn’t in the best headspace when I gave it back. I just wanted it and everything else that remained of the war gone.”

“I get that too. Regardless of the motivation, I’m still grateful.”

Potter inclined his head, brushing his lips over Teddy’s forehead. “So am I, to you, and I’m sorry I hadn’t thought to say that to you before now.”

Draco blinked away from Potter’s eyes, feeling almost as unsettled as he had the day he held his wand again, and looked over his findings. 

“Well, I found the issue. We’ve seen a few cases cropping up lately of _Cor Morbo_ , literally Core Illness. It sucks the strength out of a person’s magical core, the heart of our magic, and the early symptoms present as though a person just had a very bad bout of the flu. It’s a fairly common issue that makes its rounds every few years, especially through child care centers and nursing homes, basically going after those who have cores that either aren’t fully formed yet or that have begun to weaken.”

“Ah, that makes sense. He just started last month at an early education specialty school, Magnus and Waite, late admittance after a spot on the waitlist opened up.”

“Oh, yeah. That will do it. He’s not even the first patient from that particular school that we’ve seen in here. Thankfully, his case isn’t as serious as it could have gotten. You did the right thing bringing him in now. I’ll just write you a script for the particular series of potions he’ll need to take, and you can pick them up at the apothecary downstairs. After the first dose, which you can give him tonight and should help him sleep, he won’t be contagious anymore. Should be all good to go for holiday dinner tomorrow, but make sure he takes it easy.”

“I will. Thank you so much, Malfoy.”

“‘M I gonn’ be okay?” Teddy’s voice, quiet with sleep and soreness, bubbled up between them.

“Yes, little one,” Draco replied easily. “A couple of potions and you’ll be right as rain.”

“But I _hate_ taking potions.”

“You’ll like these ones. They taste like licorice wands and ice mice, there’s even one that tastes like Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” Draco said as he finished adding the flavorings to the prescription he wrote out. “But more importantly, they’ll make you feel better so you can run about in the snow sooner rather than later. Okay?”

“‘Kay,” the young boy said around a yawn, not at all convinced.

“Say thank you to your cousin, Teddy.”

“Thank you, Draco. Are you coming to Christmas? Aunt Cissy will be there, with Nana and Uncle Harry and I just got a puppy. Her name is Sophie and she’s a yellow lab and she’s almost as big as I am!”

“I have to work, Teddy. I’m sorry,” Draco replied and surprised himself to find that it was true, especially when the frown appeared on Teddy’s face. “Can you tell your nan that I said hello?”

“She hates when people do that. Says that people should say things themselves if they really mean them.”

“Teddy—!” Potter started, but Draco interrupted.

“No, Harry.” The name felt foreign on his tongue even as his lips formed the syllables. “He’s right. You’re right, Teddy. I’ll stop in and say so myself. I won’t be able to stay long, but—.”

“Yay! You’ll make everyone so happy!”

A short while later, after the twist and tug in Draco’s chest from Teddy’s words had eased, Teddy was charming an extra sticker from the charge nurse while Potter finished signing the discharge paperwork. 

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to come over, not if you have work and everything else.”

Draco sighed. “No, I’ve been avoiding it. Supper still at 1:00?”

“Yeah. Everyone gets there around noon or so.”

“My shift starts at 2:00, so I’ll see what I can do. I probably can’t stay for food, but I can make the time to at least stop over.”

“Okay. I didn’t want you to feel pressured. Teddy is…” He blew out a long breath. “He’s a force of nature.”

“He’s brilliant. He looks like them.” Draco wanted to swallow the words as soon as he said them, but Potter just smiled softly.

“He does. Oh, good. His hair is changing. It’s usually this super bright blue, so when it changes, it means something’s up.” His smile brightened and stayed there as he turned to Draco. “Thank you for that. It will be good to have you there tomorrow.”

Draco inclined his head in acknowledgement, not sure if he could fully agree with it. “Don’t forget the potions. Otherwise, you’re free to go, Potter.”

“Excellent, thank you. Oh, and Draco?” hearing his first name out of Potter’s mouth made Draco’s head shoot up. “I’d prefer if you kept calling me Harry. We’ve been through a bit too much together to stick to last names, yeah? See you tomorrow!”

____________________

“What were you thinking, Draco?” 

“Jesus Christ, Pans.”

“Seriously, what were you thinking?”

He stared into the cup of coffee he was drinking, quickly going cold in his grip. His stomach was too in knots to eat or drink anything, and had been since Potter had left the A&E two hours before. He had floo called Pansy and she met him at the hospital to try to talk him off the ledge he had found himself on. 

“I obviously wasn’t. We were talking and then Teddy was inviting me and just—.”

“Oh my god. Draco. Draco, you’re still head over heels for him, aren’t you?” 

“What? No, I— I never was! What is that supposed to even mean?”

“You’re always been obsessed with him! Bloody Potter and his bloody hair. Did you see him on his broom? Did you hear what he said? Did you see him today? You never stopped.”

He felt the cold creep up his spine as he thought over her words. He had never… He hated Potter, always had. Sure, he admired his skills and, reluctantly, respected him as a Wizard. Throughout school, though, everything had been handed to him. He was the golden boy, so good and loved despite never doing a damn thing to deserve it. 

Right?

It wasn’t right, though. Draco had been jealous of the attention Potter received, he had admitted that to himself a long time ago, but as he got older, he realized just how much Potter had fought for, gone through. Potter had almost died so many times, and while a lot of it was running head first into danger without thinking, a lot of it was set into motion long before he was ever born, a game played by those with more power than any of them had ever had, just another chess piece. He remembered the moment Hagrid revealed the burden he was carrying, how small Potter’s body looked, the scream that tore itself from his throat when he saw it because, _oh god, he couldn’t really be dead, what would he do without him?_

The pure, unadulterated joy and relief when that body had moved and the battle was won.

“Oh god.”

Pansy covered his hand with her own. “You honestly didn’t know, did you?” When he shook his head, she laced her fingers through his and held on. “Oh, Draco…”

“What am I going to do? There’s no way I can face him, not now, not after everything—.”

“Draco Malfoy, I love you with my whole damn heart. You’re the only family I really have left now. I need you to listen to me when I tell you that you deserve to be happy.” They sat like that, hands clasped, in silence until Pansy sighed. “I have to get back to the Ministry. Hermione is a great boss, but a stickler for work as always, even on holidays. She invited me to a New Year’s Eve party. If you don’t die of embarrassment tomorrow, you should come.”

She kissed the top of his head and took off, leaving him alone with his coffee and entirely too much on his mind.

____________________

His Aunt Andromeda’s house was warm and welcoming, the way that a home was supposed to be, he guessed as he walked up the tidy paving stone walkway. He could picture the flowers that would bloom in the bushes when the weather warmed, how they would blow in the gentle breeze, but now it was all covered with the thick blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. There were criss-crossed tracks of puppy and boy and larger booted steps that could only belong to Potter marring the snow. The windows had fairy lights and brightly coloured baubles dancing in them, and Draco held his breath before he knocked on the honey-oak door. 

The woman who answered looked enough like his Aunt Bella that his breath caught until he noticed the subtle differences— the laugh lines and auburn tone to her hair, the neatness, the warm, golden colored dress she wore. The shock on her face probably mirrored his own.

“Hello, Aunt ‘Dromeda,” he said by way of greeting. 

“Well, well. I didn’t quite believe Harry when he said you’d show up, but here you are, big as life.” She reached out, placing her hands gently on his arms and kissed his cheek softly. “Happy Christmas, Draco. Come on in. Your mother’s in the kitchen already.”

The inside of the home was even lovelier than the outside. The hardwood floors were the same honey oak as the door and, coupled with the fire crackling away, gifted the house space and warmth. He saw pictures on the wall, felt the sharp sting as his cousin Tonks smiled back from them at him, but followed his aunt into the kitchen instead of running like every inch of him told him to. 

“Look who I found, wandering about in the cold,” she said as they stepped into the small space, filled with the scents of holiday dinner cooking. 

Before Draco could say anything, there was an earsplitting shriek and Teddy came barreling at him. 

“Draco, Draco! You really came!” he shouted, and all Draco could do was laugh as he scooped him up. 

“You bet I did.”

“Can I have a kiss?”

“That depends. Have you been taking your medicine?”

“Of course I am! Uncle Harry gave me some last night, and I took some this morning, and you were right! It tasted just like Droobles!” 

“Alright, if you’re sure…” He gave Teddy a peck right on the cheek that lead to bowing raspberries on his tummy and more shrieks and laughter until the backdoor opened and a golden lab puppy bounded in tracking snow and ice all over the floor to join in on the ruckus. 

Draco looked up from where he was currently dangling Teddy by his feet and tickling him to see Potter standing in the doorway with a warm smile stretching his face into something that really should have been in a museum. He lowered Teddy to the floor before his suddenly slick palms made him lose his grip. 

“Uncle Harry, Uncle Harry! Look who came!”

“I see that. Hello, Draco.”

“Hello Po— Harry.”

The smile grew even fonder, and Draco felt the flush creep up his face. He turned away and caught himself surprised again by the look on his mother’s face. Her cheeks were rosy, there was a sparkle in her eyes, and though her hair was down and her clothes were more simple than he was used to seeing her in, she seemed more _herself_ than she had in a very long time. 

“Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, Draco. I’m so happy you were able to make it.”

“I am too,” he said, and meant it. “I’m sorry I can’t stay too long. I’ve got work in about an hour and a half, and I’ll have to stop by my flat before that…”

“That’s still plenty of time for you to make yourself useful,” Andromeda said with a smile as she pushed a knife into his hand and directed him to where the potatoes were waiting to be chopped. “Harry, you help him with those while Cissy and I get Teddy to help us set the table.”

And just like that, he and Harry were left in the kitchen by themselves.

“Talk about a force of nature, right?” Harry said with a laugh, harkening back to their conversation the night before. “I really am glad you showed up.”

“So am I, I meant that when I said it.”

“What’s kept you away?”

Draco sighed and put the first handful of cut potatoes in the bowl. “Some combination of guilt and cowardice. It’s been… hard, being around Mother, around family, after everything.”

“I understand that.”

“How can you possibly—?” Draco bit back the anger before it could fully be expressed, but Harry still heard it. 

“Molly, Mrs. Weasley, still grabs an extra place setting for Fred when she sets the table. She always catches herself, before she actually sets it out, but there’s this moment where her whole face contorts and you can see every ounce of grief she carries with her, and always will. It’s been 8 years, almost 9, but every time I walk into their home, my family’s home, I’m reminded of all of the weight we still carry with us. I imagine it’s much the same, with Cissy and the Manor. The loss, and the weight of it.”

Draco blinked, fighting the tears that had started to sneak up on him. “I’m sorry, Harry. Of course you’d know. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay, Draco.”

“It isn’t, but thank you for saying so. Mother’s looking better than I’ve seen her in a long time. Her color’s coming back again, and she’s laughing… I had to cancel last month’s lunch, and with the holidays this month… I’ve been overwhelmed.”

“You can only do so much. You’re only human.”

“Unfortunately.”

Harry laughed at that. “Honestly, though? You’re right. She’s been doing better. I see her every now and then when she’s over here, and I think it’s been good for her, getting the space and reconnecting with Andromeda. Teddy, too. He keeps us all on our toes.”

Like he had been personally summoned, Teddy chose that moment to dart around the corner and latch onto Draco’s legs. “Up!” 

“Ask nicely, Teddy,” Potter said.

“Please pick me up again, Draco?”

“That’s better, you little monster,” Draco said and hefted him onto his hip. “You’re getting a little too big for this, bucko.”

“I’ll be ready for Hogwarts soon enough!”

“That you will be. I hope you get into less trouble than your godfather here did.”

“I’ve already been told that I can’t go into the forest or the forbidden corridors and I have to listen to my teachers and that, no matter what house I’m in, it’s important to talk to people from the other houses.” 

“And your Uncle Hagrid and Uncle Neville will be there to tell me if you do get into trouble,” Harry said and dropped a kiss on Teddy’s mop of sky blue hair, bringing him closer to Draco. Their eyes locked, for just a minute, before Andromeda and Narcissa made their way back into the kitchen, and Draco looked away just in time to catch a knowing look pass between the two women. He took a noticeable step away from Harry and set Teddy town. 

“Dinner will be done as soon as those potatoes are done. Are you sure you can’t stay, Draco?” his mother asked. 

“I’m sorry. With the holiday, there wouldn’t be anyone to cover me.” 

“Stop pressuring the lad, Cissy. We’ll make you a plate to take with you. No reason you can’t have a good, hot meal in the midst of all the rushing about you’re bound to be doing tonight.”

They passed the time playing catch up and chatting about all the little day to day things, Harry’s work with the Ministry, Andromeda’s adventures in gardening, stories from the A&E. When it was finally time for Draco to leave, he found himself genuinely upset by it. 

“Thank you so much for being here, Draco,” Narcissa said as she hugged him goodbye. “Will I see you soon?”

“Absolutely. Sunday?”

“Sunday. Have a good night at work.”

He left his aunt with promises of another visit soon as well, and gave Teddy another round of raspberries on his tum that had his laughter singing through the house. Harry insisted on walking him out, and before Draco could step off into the soft drifts of snow, Harry stopped him. 

“Are you working New Year’s Eve?” 

“No, I actually took that off this year.” 

“We decided to have a party, at Grimmauld Place. A bunch of folks from school, I think Hermione even mentioned something to Pansy and Millie— Millicent. You’d be welcome to invite whomever you wanted as well, if you wanted to bring your partner or some friends.”

“I don’t have a partner,” Draco replied. “And are you sure it would be a good idea for me to come? I don’t want to intrude, and I haven’t seen a lot of folks from school since, well…”

Harry just shook his head. “I think you’d be pleasantly surprised how much everyone has changed, to be honest.” Before Draco could protest, Harry plowed on. “Besides, I’d like for you to be there.”

“I’m not making any promises, but I will think about it.”

“That’s all I can really ask.” He ran his hand down Draco’s upper arm, leaving a trail of fireworks in its path. “Have a good night at work, Draco.” 

Then he was gone. 

____________________

He stood in front of the mirror holding up first one tie, a deep forest green, then another in a deep blue, switching them out to try to figure which went better with the smoke grey shirt he was wearing. He had changed his outfit five times, convinced everything he owned had grown the ability to actively humiliate him. He finally sank down on the edge of his bed, head in his hands which still gripped the ties. 

That was how Pansy found him.

“Oh, honey…” she said and sat next to him, running her hand across his upper back and pulling him closer. “What’s wrong, Draco?”

“What am I doing, Pansy? Fussing over ties and panicking like this. It’s just a party. Why does it feel like more than that?”

“Because he’ll be there, and you’re nervous.”

“I don’t _get_ nervous.”

“That’s bullshit,” she shot back. “You spent your entire childhood as an anxious mess, running on bravado and little else, checking around corners when you thought no one was watching.”

He couldn’t even argue with her, just shook his head instead. “How did you see so much of me? That and Harry and everything. So much I didn’t see myself.”

“Because I loved you, Draco.”

“Oh, Pans…”

“Which is why I need you to snap out of this. I did not let my heart let go of you only for you to end up a miserable old spinster because you were too afraid to take a chance at happiness.”

“What if… What if he doesn’t want me? What if it’s— what if I’m not enough?”

Pansy took his face in her hands. “Then Potter is an absolute idiot and we’ll have to fall back on Plan B.”

“What’s Plan B?”

“A house in Sussex with a litter of our children, of course.” That got the laugh from him that she wanted. “Honestly? Plan B is a bottle of Ogden’s and some trash Muggle movie and too much ice cream. Either way, you’ll get through it.”

He rested his head on her shoulder, wrapping his own arm around her. “I love you, Pansy.”

“I know. Now, let’s finish getting you ready. What were you fussing over?” she asked as she pulled him to his feet. 

“What tie to wear.”

“Simple. Neither. Do you want a quick glamour for those dark circles?”

“I’ll take whatever help I can get.”

“Undo those top two buttons. We’ll make him sweat.”

____________________

They could hear the music spilling from 12 Grimmauld Place from the apparition point just across the street. They didn’t have to knock, the door swinging open of its own accord when they made it to the landing.

“Pansy!” The high pitched shout from Millicent Bulstrode was paired with a fierce hug that swept Pansy away from Draco for just long enough for panic to start creeping up his throat. “Gods, and Draco _fucking_ Malfoy. I didn’t believe her when she said you’d be here!” Soon those same arms were around him and he realized that the night wouldn’t be as terrible as he had originally feared. “I’m happy we were able to pull you away from the hospital for a night.”

“It’s been too long since I’ve been out. Got the itch to dance, you know?”

“Let’s get you a drink, then, and see if we can’t scratch it!”

As they made their way to the kitchen, Draco was surprised by the number of people there that he knew and who stopped him to chat or just say hello. He told himself he wasn’t disappointed that there hadn’t been any sign of Potter— _Harry_ , he mentally corrected himself for the 100th time that day. It was okay, to not see him. Draco was there to drink and dance and have fun. He could do that, with or without him.

Two drinks and a shot of some Muggle liquor later, all those thoughts left his head when he finally spotted the man across the room, head tossed back in laughter over some joke the Weaselette— _Ginny, damn it_ — made. He pushed down the irrational wave of jealousy that swept over him. He had read the papers, had heard of their breakup and the subsequent scandal when, not even a year later, Ginny had announced her engagement to Luna Lovegood. No sooner did he think of her did Luna come skipping over to Ginny with a drink and a kiss.

It was right about then he realized that he had lost sight of Harry. He cursed himself, scanning the room for the mop of messy black hair (which, really, had been sleek and soft and left hanging long and loose around Harry’s shoulders and—).

“Looking for someone?”

Draco’s heart leapt right up to his throat from where it had been sitting heavily in his stomach. “Jesus fucking Christ, Potter. Make some noise!”

“Harry, remember?” he corrected with a gentle chuckle. “And I am sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Well, not quite so much.”

“I guess I can forgive you. This time.”

“Excellent. Are you having a good time?”

“It’s a pretty fantastic party, Harry. Thank you for the invite.”

“Of course. You can thank Hermione for the party itself. She took the idea and ran with it.” He looked around with a soft, half-smile on his face, like he couldn’t quite believe his luck, that made Draco’s heart tumble in his chest. When his gaze snapped back to look at him, Draco felt a different sort of jolt up his spine. “I’m happy you made it.”

“So am I.”

“Can I get you another drink?” 

“That would be great, yeah.”

They walked to the kitchen, stopped every three feet or so by another group of people wanting to speak to Harry, including Ron and Hermione, who actually smiled and gave him a quick hug, asking after his mother. It felt like ages before they made it to the kitchen, Harry grabbing another beer for himself and a cider for Draco, before he jerked his head toward the back door. Draco followed him out to the garden.

“Oh, it’s lovely.”

The small stone patio had been cleared of snow, and there were a few chairs around. The warming spells in place made it comfortable despite the bitter cold of the evening, and the fairy lights winding through the trees and bushes provided just enough light to compliment the few stars and low hanging crescent moon above the city. It was intimate and peaceful in a way that Draco hadn’t expected from Harry. 

“You’ve done well with the house, Harry. My mother used to tell me horror stories of it, all dark and gloomy.”

“I wanted it to feel like a home again, a proper home.”

“You’re definitely succeeded.”

“Thank you, that means a lot to me. How was the hospital?”

“Busy, of course. A few more cases of _Cor Morbo_ , some really ridiculous holiday accidents. The sheer number of wizards who end up hurting themselves because they decide to use a ladder to hang decorations instead of magic and then _forget to anchor the ladder…_ ” he broke off with a sigh. “But it’s not bad when it’s busy like this. Holiday pay and the time flying by makes it all worth it. I usually work New Year’s Eve as well, but I’m happy I took it off this year.”

“Lucky for me,” Harry replied, bumping his shoulder against Draco’s, who shoved him back with a laugh. “Andromeda sent me a picture of Teddy from Christmas with you. Do you want to see?”

“I didn’t even realize she had snapped a picture.”

“She’s sneaky, that one,” he replied as he fished out his cell phone. The picture was the exact moment after Harry had leaned in to kiss Teddy’s forehead, when Draco’s mind flooded with thoughts of what it would be like to just close the distance and kiss him. “It’s a good shot,” Harry said quietly, bringing Draco back into the present. 

He swallowed audibly before speaking. “It is. How was the rest of the day?”

“Good. I left around 4:00 to head over to the Weasleys’, spent the night there. I love them, but the holidays tend to be a lot… Well, you know. Spent the last few days being a bit of a hermit to prepare for the socializing tonight.”

“I don’t want to keep you from your guests if you wanted—.”

“Trust me, Draco,” Harry cut him off as he brushed a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. “I am exactly where I want to be right now, okay?”

Draco could only nod in response, and Harry lead them into safer topics of conversation, eventually sitting in two of the chairs that faced each other so they could be comfortable. People filtered in and out of the house around them, sometimes joining them, sometimes leaving them to have their privacy. They covered topics from work to Quidditch to politics, and Draco found himself surprised again and again with Harry’s knowledge. 

“I have to apologize to you, Harry,” he finally said.

“Oh? What for?”

“For underestimating you. Again. I didn’t expect to enjoy our conversations as much as I have, and I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Harry laughed at that. “Gods, I wish I could have a recording of that, to play back whenever you get cocky.”

“Don’t push your luck, Potter.”

“Harry.”

“Whatever.”

Pansy was the one who came to find them next. “It’s almost time for champagne. We’re 10 minutes to midnight!”

“I should probably go be a proper host then, at least for the next few minutes.”

“Boring,” Draco deadpanned, but Harry only took his hand and pulled him to his feet. 

“If I have to people, so do you,” he said as he pulled Draco into the house behind him, not letting go of his hand. 

It was the work of a few charms to make sure everyone had a glass of either champagne or sparkling cider, depending on their preferences. The Wizarding Wireless Network was playing classics by the Weird Sisters intermixed with Muggle classics, until the final song faded out and the countdown began, and Draco found himself standing by the fire with Harry, watching the glowing numbers projected from the radio start to tick down.

 _“Thirty!”_ the announcer started.

“Do you know what Muggles say about New Year’s Eve?” Harry asked Draco.

_“Twenty-five!”_

“No. What do they say?”

_“Twenty-two!”_

“That whatever you’re doing at midnight on New Year’s is what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year.”

_“Fifteen!”_

“Is that so? That’s such a lovely sentiment.”

 _“Ten!”_ The call from the radio was now being echoed by those around them. 

“It really is… Draco…”

_“Five!”_

Draco’s heart pounded in his chest as Harry stepped even closer to him. “Yes, Harry?”

 _“Four!”_

Harry’s hand reached out to cup his jaw.

_”Three!”_

That hand moved around to card fingers through Draco’s hair.

_“Two!”_

“May I?” Harry asked.

_”One!”_

Draco nodded, and Harry’s mouth pressed against his just as the shouts of “Happy New Year!” filled the house. Fireworks exploded in the street outside, the music picked back up, people were hugging and laughing and dancing, but Draco couldn’t hear a single bit of it. All of his attention was focused on bringing his own hand up to hold onto Harry, pull him closer, kiss him deeper. Even when their lips parted, they stayed pressed together, forehead to forehead, Draco’s fingers curled in the fabric of Harry’s shirt. 

“I wouldn’t mind doing that for the rest of this year,” Draco said.

Harry nuzzled closer to Draco, placing a kiss on his jaw. “Just a year?”

“We can call it a trial period,” Draco replied, trying not to squirm as Harry started trailing kisses down his neck.

“I believe they call that dating, Draco.”

“Do they, now? I had no idea.” 

Harry chuckled and pulled away. “Are you asking me to date you?”

“You’re not that dumb, Potter. You shouldn’t have to ask that.”

Harry laughed outright that time. “You’re a bastard, you know that, right?”

“Obviously.”

“It’s a good thing I kind of like that though.”

“A very good thing,” Draco replied. After a beat, he pushed his head into the crook of Harry’s neck. “Was that a yes?”

“Obviously.”

Draco shoved him, not very effectively with one hand now laced with one of Harry’s, but it was worth it for the laughter the gesture sparked. “Dance with me?”

“I suppose…” Which was all the encouragement Draco needed before pulling Harry into the fray of people dancing.

It took until almost 2:00 in the morning before the last of the guests left. Draco had pushed Pansy out of the door with a Hufflepuff who had been one year behind them in Hogwarts sometime around 1:00, got a solid hug from both Ginny and Luna not long after that. Hermione and Ron were the last to go, after the final dishes were set to wash and the rest of the furniture put to rights. Draco was putting the last of the already clean glasses away in the cabinet when Harry’s arms slid around his waist from behind. 

“Do you have work tomorrow?” Harry asked. 

“I don’t, it’s my long weekend. I took tonight off to extend it a little longer.”

“Hmm… Would you like like to spend the night? You can definitely say no, and it doesn’t have to be for more than anything than sleeping if you say yes. I just… find myself wanting to see the first sunlight of the New Year with you.”

“That was terribly sappy of you, Potter.”

“That flush on your cheeks tells me you liked it, Malfoy.”

“Maybe a little.” Draco twisted around so he was facing Harry, running his hands up Harry’s arms to rest on his shoulders. “I’d love to stay, if you’re sure. And… it definitely doesn’t _have_ to be just for sleeping.”

“Doesn’t have to be? Or you’d prefer if it wasn’t?”

“I’d prefer if it wasn’t. I had it pointed out to me recently that I’ve had this crush on you since Hogwarts,” Draco replied and slowly started to undo the button’s of Harry’s shirt. He ran his finger tips across the exposed skin, digging his nails in ever so slightly. “I think I’ve waited quite long enough to properly get my hands on you.”

Harry almost growled. “Do you need anything else from down here?” 

“No, wh-?”

Before Draco could even finish his question, Harry pulled him closer and apparated them to what must have been his bedroom. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but his breath shuddered out of him as Harry pushed him back against the closed door and latched his lips and teeth back on Draco’s neck.

“Do you want to know what I’ve been thinking the whole night?” Harry asked, no more than a breath drawing goosebumps along Draco’s skin, slowly being revealed as Harry undid his shirt.

“Hm?”

“That I really, really want to suck your cock.”

“ _Oh Jesus…_ ”

“Was that a yes?”

“Please.”

The way Harry sank down to his knees was sinful, his shirt slipping half off one shoulder, sections of hair — pulled back earlier in the night— settling around his face. Draco ran his fingers through them experimentally and smiled wide when Harry leaned his head into the gesture. It was enough of a distraction that Draco hadn’t noticed his trousers being unbuttoned until Harry licked his lips and pulled his pants down as well. The wet heat of Harry’s mouth was better than he ever could have imagined, even in his horniest, Hogwarts era, dorm room fantasies. His hand found Harry’s head again, fingers wrapping in his hair with a bit more force that had Harry moaning around his cock. He rested his head back against the door, knowing that if he kept watching the reddening of Harry’s spit slicked lips, everything would be over embarrassingly fast. 

He did look again when he heard a belt buckle coming undone and saw Harry start to work his hand over his own cock. Draco tightened his grip even more and pulled Harry away from him, forcing him to look up at him. 

“Don’t you dare. I said I wanted my hands on you, Potter, and I meant it. Come on, up, the bed…”

They both stripped off the remainders of their clothes in between kisses and bites and gentle-touches-turned-rough. It was Draco who pushed Harry back onto the bed, enjoying the startled laugh the action drew before he kissed the sound away. Their bodies lined up, cocks brushing together as they rocked into the sensation. 

“Fuck, Harry… How… how do you normally like it?”

“Rough, preferably.”

Draco huffed a laugh into Harry’s neck, turning it into a bite that had Harry hissing. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know — _gods, yeah_ — what you meant, and I like either. You?”

“Also verse but… very much in the mood to top tonight, if you’re up for bottoming.”

“Fuck, yes. Please… Been thinking of your cock inside me for ages now.”

“Have you now?” Draco asked. “Need the spells?”

“Let me just—,” Harry started, but cut off on a moan as Draco kissed along his collar bones. “If you could stop for a second so I can concentrate…”

Draco chuckled again and pulled away just long enough for Harry to wave his hand, no wand needed, to do the cleaning spells. 

“Do you have—?”

“Yeah, hold on…” 

It didn’t really take long to fumble in the side drawer for the bottle of lube, but every second that passed had Draco more and more on edge. Finally, when his mouth found Harry’s cock and his fingers were slick enough to press inside one by one, he let himself marvel— at the man fisting the sheets below him, at the pressure against his fingers, at the series of ridiculous events that had lead him to be naked inside _Harry fucking Potter’s_ bedroom. 

It was perfect. 

Or, at least, he thought it was until he actually slid his cock inside Harry and had to take several long seconds to breathe. Harry’s heels digging into his hips, the soft whisper of _”please,”_ pushed him to move. The first proper thrust pushed a soft grunt from Harry that quickly turned into a moan as Draco rolled his hips back and pressed in again. He started slow, working his way up to harder and deeper thrusts. 

“Is that all you’ve got?” Harry asked, smile teasing and gorgeous as he pressed his head back into the pillow. 

Draco responded by sitting back on his haunches, grabbing one of Harry’s ankles, and bringing it up over his shoulder before leaning forward, pressing Harry almost in half, and fucking deeper into him. 

“Oh, jesus, _fuck._ ”

Draco smiled, nipping at Harry’s ankle with his teeth. “You were saying?”

Harry simply wrapped his hand around his own cock, stroking himself in time with Draco’s thrusts into him, now steady and forceful, each press pushing Harry closer to the headboard. He put a hand up against it, pushing back against the solid wood and giving himself purchase to push his hips up to meet Draco’s. His moans had started to devolve into whines, the rhythm of his hand beginning to falter.

“Gods, Draco, I’m so close…”

“Yes. Gods, yes. I want to see you come for me, Harry. Want you to let go. Want to feel you…”

“Fuck, Draco—,” he tossed his head back, exposing the long column of his throat, and Draco placed his hand there, no more than steady pressure of pale fingers wrapping around olive skin, and Harry came. 

“Yes, just like that. _Damn it._ ” A few more thrusts, and Draco followed Harry over the edge. 

After, when they had cleaned off and curled up under the covers, the long line of Harry’s front pressed to Draco’s back, Harry laughed. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Just thinking that I’m going to have to send Hermione flowers. She’s the one who pushed me to pursue you, especially after I told her I saw you at the hospital.”

“I’ll have to do the same for Pansy. She’s the one who pushed me after you when I told her the same.” He paused. “Wait. You don’t think…?”

“What? _Oh._ ” Harry thought for a moment. “Nah. Couldn’t be. They wouldn’t have…”

“Wouldn’t they?”

Harry pulled Draco even closer with the arm wrapped around his waist. “Who can really care, either way, if this was the end result?”

“That is a good point, Potter. I’ll give you that one.”

“Won’t be the last time you say that, you know.”

“Oh, fuck off.”  
_____________________

_**Three Days Later** _

“Well, it only took them… how many years?” Hermione asked before taking a sip of her coffee. 

“Too bloody many, to be honest,” Pansy replied.

Hermione hummed, “Yeah, there’s that. Good team work, Parkinson.”

“Same to you, Granger. You know, I’ve been thinking… Your idea to do this was very Slytherin of you.”

Hermione laughed. “I have my moments. You should ask me about Rita Skeeter some time.”

“Oh? What happened there?”

“I kept her in her animagus form in a glass jar for a little over a week, until she learned enough of a lesson to let up on Harry for a while.”

“You… you kidnapped and held a journalist hostage?” Hermione shrugged. “Blimey. You’re magnificent. Fucking terrifying, but magnificent.”

Hermione smiled. “Thank you. Now, get back to work, Pansy.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”


End file.
